Apparatus for cooling liquids



May 13, 1952 R. D. MOORE 2,596,782

` APPARATUS FOR COOLING LIQUIDS Gttornegs May 13, 1952 R. D. MOORE 2,596,782

APPARATUS FOR COOLING LIQUIDS Filed March 10, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 5 l 6 39 l 36 l V 4 46 M 47 Robe/" D. Moo/"e Gttornegs Bnvcntor :not always available.

Patented May 13, 1952 ,ArrARA'rUseFoR cooLiNG :LIaUios Robert 'D. Moord `Kansas ,'Cty, Mo., assignor `to "The -Moore Company, `Kansas City; Mo., a corporation loztltlissouri ApplicationjMarch l0, 19d7,.-Serial No. .7335592 V.This v.invention `relates to van apparatus fior cooling ia liquid by -contacting droplets 'of the liquid with an air stream. Apparatus of [this 1character `usually involves counterflow of the Yair 'and -is fof fgre'at lheight to lfobtain the required contact time between the air vand -droplets of liquid withouttoo highfa` velocity of the/air. `Consequently,'thefcontacting apparatuses as heretofore-constructed occupy large areas which are .Theyare also very expensive andmust 'be shipped knocked down and :erected on the site. Y

Thereforethe'principal objects of the present :invention are to providea small compact cooling apparatus that may "be shipped as a unit, and l'to provides. cooling apparatus having a structure Lto 'e'ffec't contact between the droplets of 'liquid :and .air by providing lmeans forimparting an upward velocity to tl'ie liquid droplets vwhich :carries them vvin concurrent new with the air -until .the .imparted velocity 'is expended whereupon the droplets fall in ,counterfiow throughthe air stream to again "reecive a reverse upward `.velocity andthe process is repeated -until the droplets-are-able Itodrop below the velocity imparting means.

'Other 4objects fof the .invention are .to `utilize theair impelling meansl as the means for impartingLthe-reverse -velocity to the droplets of liquid; to provide Ja liquid cooling vapparatus Wherevby'any desired'capaci-ty may be obtained by superimposing :cooling `units 'one above another; to vprovide a-coolingnnit with means for veiectng return o'f fthe liquidldropletsv to the impelling means; toprovide the cooling unit with a mist extractor for removing liquid spray from the air discharged from the unit; and to provide a cooling unit with an impelling means which may .be driven by. a directly connected motor4 or. from a driving connection with a prime mover located outside oftheunit.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention I have provided improved structure, the preferredforms-of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. Lis a perspective `view/of a liquid `cooling unit constructedin accordance with the present invention.

'Fig.22 is va --vertical section through the unit equipped'fwith .apropeller having :a direct ydrive.

'FigJBiisfia horizontal section 'on the'linelf3-3 Fig. 4 is a vertical section through a unit equipped with aniimpeller actuated through a vdriving connection with a motor located exteriorly of the unit.

.turned circumferential jilanges 6 and 5. VFixed to the .wall`j3 substantially in plane with the flange 5 is a bottom 26 'having an axial opening? encircled by a motor supporting tube 3 which is suitably connected with the bottom to provide a leak-tight connection. The ,tube extends above .the "wall/of the pan .and'has laterally directed ears 9 for -attaching ears l0 of a motor enclosed within a housing designated Il. Supported by thehousing VI'I 'is an kimpeller I2 including a housing-shaped hub i3 that cooperates with the housing :ll in "enclosing the motor. Projecting radially from`the'impeller hub I3 are blades ifi. The blades jlll Yare Vrelatively flat and wide to provide large impelling surfaces I5 on their upper sides. y

Supported on rods IB carried by the upper `1iange li of the pan 2 is a series of rings Il, I8, l9..and 20 .superimposed one upon another and having outturned flanges Y2| and 22 extending circumferentially of their upper and lower edges for'securing'the sections'together, fastening de- `vices such asibolts 23 `being extended through registering openings in the abutting anges as shown 5 in Fig. v2. The lowermost ring is thus spaced .above 'the upperedge of the pan wall "3 to .providelan annular inlet v24 for flow of air -persingvcylinder 21 -of r`slightly larger diameter thantheimpeller` hub |3-to provide an annular outlettherebetween for'discharge of liquid to becooledy onto the surfaces t5 of the impeller .blades .aslater described. The upper end of the .cylinderterminatesfshort-of the upper ring 2d and carries an inset diaphragmfZB-provided with A.a.plura lity'of apertures 30 `for diffusing the liquid to fbey cooled fandcausing it to Vfall in ,droplets .over the rupper curved' surface-3l `of theimpeller :hub whichy throws the droplets through the outlet 28 onto the blades by centrifugal action.

The liquid is discharged onto the diiusing diaphragm 29 from a supply pipe 32 that leads from the source of supply (not shown).

The cylinder 2'I is supported by vanes 33 that extend radially therefrom and have their outer ends attached to the ring I8. The vanes have the sides thereof in planes of near right angles to the fan for effecting change in the directional ow of the air from a spiral direction to an axial direction.

Extending from the upper edge of the liquid inlet cylinder 2'I and connected with the upper ring 20 is a plurality of sector-shaped bales 34 having zigzag-shaped portions 35, 36 and 31 arranged in spaced relation with the corresponding portions of the adjacent baiiies to provide tortuous passageways 38 for the outlet of air from the upper end of the housing to eliminate discharge of spray with the air.

The pan 2 may be supported on legs 33 and has an outlet 39 in connection with a return duct 40 for the cooled liquid.

The form of the inventionshown in Fig. 4 is substantially the same as that illustrated in Fig. 2 with the exception that the tubular support 4I for the impeller is of smaller diameter and carries anti-friction bearings 42 and 43 journalling a vertical shaft 44 that carries the impeller. The shaft extends below the bottom of the Apan and carries a pulley 45 that is driven by a belt 46 from a pulley 41 that is connected with the power shaft 48 of a motor 49 having a reduction gearing indicated by the housing 50.

The cooling unit thus described may be assembled in the factory and shipped in assembled condition to the place of use.

In installing the unit the liquid supply and return ducts 32 and 49 are connected with liquid source so that the hot liquid is delivered to the unit through the duct 32 and returned through the duct 49. The motor of the impeller I2 is connected to a source of current supply to complete the installation.

In operating the unit, the motor is energized to rotate the impeller so as to draw air through the annular opening 24 and discharge the air at substantial velocity upwardly through the cylindrical housing-like rings I1, I8 and I9 for discharge through the tortuous passageways 38 provided between the mist eliminator baiiles 34. Liquid to be cooled is discharged from the duct 32 so that it iiows over the diffusing diaphragm 29 and drops through the apertures 30 onto the crown surface 3l of the impeller hub I3 which splatters the droplets and under Icentrifugal action discharges the splattering droplets through the outlet 28 into the path of the impeller blades and across the air flow to cause the droplets to collide with the fan blades and have imparted thereto an upward velocity. The droplets thus move upwardly through the housing in concurrent flow with the air until they loose the imparted energy through change in direction of the air flow by the guide vanes 33 whereupon they fall at relatively slow rate through the air stream to again be contacted by the blades which again impart the upward velocity of the droplets in concurrent ow with the air stream. The process is thus continued many times until the droplets nally miss the impeller blades and dro-p across the air inlet opening into the collection pan where the cool liquid accumulates and is discharged through the return duct 40. The guide vanes 33 being located over the impellers and in the path of the air moved thereby straighten out and prevent spiraling of the air so that the air and droplets move upwardly in axial flow through the cooling space. Thus, the droplets are broken up by the repeated action of the impeller blade and are kept in continuous contact with freshly moving air to assure the highest efciency. Itis obvious that any mist entrained with the air passing through the tortuous passageway is caused to drop out and be returned to the cooling space.

From the foregoing it is obvious that I have provided a cooling unit of small compact construction and which maintains suflicient contact time between the droplets of liquid and a continuously moving iiow of air to reduce the temperature of the liquid to the required degree.

To treat greater volumes of liquid additional units may be installed one above the other with y the mist extractor located on the uppermost unit.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

-A device for cooling a liquid including a housing composed of a plurality of superimposed ring members having circumferential flanges at opposite edges with the anges at one ring seated upon the ange of an adjacent ring, means connecting the flanges together 4with the uppermost ring forming an outlet, a liquid collecting pan below said housing, means supporting the lowermost ring of said housing inV spaced relation above the pan vto provide an annular air inlet, an impeller mounted within a lower ring and having blades projecting from a hub having a crowned upper surface above the blades and curving downwardly toward said blades, air rguide vanes in an upper ring, means for supporting the impeller in said lower ring with the blades rotatable horizontally above the annular inlet and below the guide vanes for drawing air through the inlet and moving air upwardly for discharge through the outlet, a tube of slightly larger diameter than the hub and having support by the air Vguide vanes over said hub, means for delivering a liquid through said tube for distribution in small streams over the crowned surface of the hub for circumferential discharge from the crowned surface and into collision with the blades to impart Velocity to the dropletsY of the liquid and maintain the droplets in ,motion with the air until the droplets lose the imparted velocity and drop in counterow with the air between the impeller blades and into the water collecting pan.

Y Y ROBERT D. Moons.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Harris 1 Oct. .15, 1940 

